


Conduits

by matchamarimo



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Curses, M/M, mentions of fantasy-type violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:41:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23478643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/matchamarimo/pseuds/matchamarimo
Summary: The mage at the top of the tower looks down at him—not in disdain, or fear, or even curiosity. His gaze is level and impartial, wholly unaffected by the mess Atsumu has wreaked on the castle. Something about him roots Atsumu to the spot, and he stares back, until his harsh breathing slowly evens out, and the heat in his blood cools to a low simmer.“Well, come on in,” the mage sighs, when the staring contest has gone on for too long. “I was making a pot of tea anyway.”
Relationships: Kita Shinsuke/Miya Atsumu
Comments: 8
Kudos: 107





	Conduits

**Author's Note:**

> everyone on my timeline after friday's episode: INARIZAKI RISEEEE (flaming elmo gif)
> 
> enjoy!

His search at this castle was yet another waste of his already limited and precious time.

The mages at this establishment boasted and embellished their prowess and strengths, but in the mere seconds it took for Atsumu to tear through the guards, they were nothing but snivelling cowards that fled shrieking and crying into the stronghold. Frustration boils inside him with every slash, bite, and claw he rakes; these people know  _ nothing _ of the world outside—nothing of the starving villages, the pillaging and plundering, those suffering from their willful ignorance and lust for power and wealth.

Even if he’d threatened them and demanded they come back with him to his township, they would be useless.

“Scrubs,” he spits down to another limp, unmoving body. He’s not sure how long he’s let his rampage go on for; Atsumu just knows that he’s tired and exhausted, but still so full of unchecked animalistic rage.

There’s not many options left for him. Word will have surely travelled by now, and people will start looking into the murders at the castles, the deaths of these ridiculously wealthy mages, and soon he’ll run out of places to go.

In his mind’s eye, images of his family and friends arise without his permission. He can imagine Suna and Aran worrying in their own, quiet ways, but Osamu wouldn’t hesitate to call him out on his failure and every blasphemous name under the sun if he returned empty-handed. But more than anything else, Atsumu knows his brother would be disappointed, and  _ that _ is enough to fuel his anger for another bout.

A soft click sounds from his right, and Atsumu whirls around in time to see a door at the top of a flight of stairs open, and someone new comes into view.

At first, Atsumu mistakes him for a scribe, or an apprentice, or—well, anything, really. The man is young and pale-faced, with ash-grey hair and tired, dark eyes. He’s dressed far more simply than anyone else had been in the castle had been, wearing nothing more than a plain shirt and trousers, and a fairly boring vest. For a moment, Atsumu nearly writes him off as a non-threat.

And then he feels the magic flow over him.

It’s strong.

It’s strong  _ and _ potent, far more powerful than anything he’d felt from the wannabe mages he’d ripped apart, and animal instinct freezes him to the spot.

The mage frowns, casting a slow glance over at the blood on the stone, the bodies at the bottom of the steps, and the ringing silence throughout the castle.

Atsumu tries to breathe in through his nose and out his mouth, steadying a heart rate that’s going too fast, and the mounting scream of the beast inside to try and reach its new prey.

_ That’s not wise _ , he chides, praying he can hang on to his humanity for just a moment longer.  _ Don’t rush in on that one yet _ .

The mage at the top of the tower looks down at him—not in disdain, or fear, or even curiosity. His gaze is level and impartial, wholly unaffected by the mess Atsumu has wreaked on the castle. Something about him roots Atsumu to the spot, and he stares back until his harsh breathing slowly evens out and the heat in his blood cools to a low simmer.

“Well, come on in,” the mage sighs, when the staring contest has gone on for too long. “I was making a pot of tea anyway.”

“Are you kiddin’ me right now?” Atsumu splutters, because that’s the last thing he’d expected to happen. “I just murdered yer whole clan.”

The mage arches a thin brow. “They’re not my clan,” he says, and disappears into the room behind the door.

For lack of a better thing to do, Atsumu climbs the steps, and slowly enters the room.

It’s small and cramped, packed full of books and magical items and plants. It’s not exactly untidy; rather, it feels as though there’s just too much stuff and not enough space. A small fire burns in the hearth, where a blackened kettle hangs just over the flames. There’s a large desk buried under stacks of parchment and more leatherbound volumes, an unmade bed in the corner of the room, and old, rickety partitioners off to the side. There is a window, but stern iron bars fit over the rain-streaked glass.

“You’ll have to take your tea as is,” the mage says, lifting the kettle off the fire. He pours dark liquid into two mismatched mugs sitting on top of a small table. “I’m afraid I don’t have any sugar cubes or honey with me.”

Atsumu stares at him.

The mage lifts a pile of books off a chair and pushes it out for him. “Sit,” he says, gesturing.

“Why the hell are ya givin’ me tea?” he asks. This is too strange.

The mage shrugs. “Is it not good manners to welcome a guest with food and drink? Although, given the circumstances, a hot drink is all I can offer.”

“Awfully kind of you to give a killer a drink.”

“Like I said,” the mage hums, though this time there’s an air of impatience to his tone. “Those people are not my clan.”

The air crackles minutely. Atsumu sits and takes his tea.

“Then what are they?” he asks, sniffing. It’s nice. Deep and strong, perhaps with a dash of liquorice in it.

The mage’s eyes dart over to the barred window. “I suppose you could call them my captors. Jailers, mayhaps? Either way, I’m not here of my own free will. I suppose the locking enchantments on my door broke when you killed the mage who cast it; in which case you have my thanks.”

Atsumu scowls and takes a too-big gulp. The hot liquid scorches his throat on its way down. “I’m not here to help you. I ain’t no rescuer. I’m lookin’ for someone to fix my goddamn problem.”

“Mhm.” The mage’s eyes gleam over the rim of his mug. “Yes, I can see you’ve got a problem. Quite a big and inconvenient one too.”

Heart leaping in his chest, Atsumu sits bolt upright in his seat. “You know what it is.”

“Of course. I’m not incompetent like those fools you killed downstairs. Were you seeking help from them, to undo the curse?” There’s a faintly patronizing tone that Atsumu immediately dislikes.

“Not like I had anybody else to go to in my township,” he growls, pushing himself to his feet. “Besides, they were the ones who caused all—all this  _ shit _ . Makin’ deals with the fair folk, using their serfs and towns as bargaining chips in their Otherworld contracts, getting rich in exchange for our livelihoods—we ain’t things!”

“I’m afraid you’re preaching to the choir,” the mage laughs tonelessly. “I take it you’re not the only one affected by this spell that’s befallen your town?”

Atsumu clenches his fist. “Two of my friends and my brother,” he bites out. “We got the worst of it.”

“Is that so?” The mage tilts his head with interest. “What are you feeling? Loss of human capacity? Poor situational awareness? Complete animal transformations? Ah,” he sighs, when Atsumu’s face darkens. “That is indeed a very bad situation.”

“Can you help us?” Atsumu demands, blunt. He doesn’t have time for this; with every passing second, his grasp on humanity grows shorter. A part of him resolutely refuses to imagine what Osamu—the first to have been cursed—might be like at this point. “If not, don’t waste my time. We don’t have much longer.”

“I never said I couldn’t help,” the mage says. He stands, and even though he’s shorter than Atsumu by a fair bit, his magical presence seems to loom over them both. Atsumu watches warily as he steps close, sniffing the air around Atsumu. He reaches out, slowly, as though giving Atsumu plenty of notice, and touches his hair, ears, cheeks, and neck. His fingers are cold, but it sparks with some kind of power.

“I can slow it down, but just for a while,” the mage declares, once his observations have completed. “Enough for you to bring me back to your township and see to your brother and friends, at the very least.”

“Do it,” Atsumu says at once. “I don’t care what it is, just— _ mmph _ !”

He cuts off as the mage surges forward, pressing his lips against Atsumu’s, and for a second he flounders, his brain short-circuiting in shock. Then, something ice cold slips past his lips, like a sharp breath of winter air, and it sinks all the way down into his lungs and weighs heavily at the pits of his stomach, like a pool of freezing water.

The mage smiles against his lips, tongue swiping cheekily out against Atsumu’s mouth before he backs away. His eyes are glowing a dark, heavy gold, and when Atsumu reaches up to touch his lips he finds that his fingers are trembling ever so slightly.

But, for the first time in a very long while, he feels less fox and a whole lot more human.

“Who are you?” he breathes.

The mage smiles. “You can call me Kita. It’s a pleasure to meet you…?”

“Atsumu.” He knows not to give his full name (not that he would after all that fae bullshit), and Kita’s smile grows wider, showing pointed canines. He seems pleased, and for some reason, Atsumu basks in the grin directed towards him.

  
“Atsumu,” Kita murmurs, like he’s tasting the word. “ _ The Urge to Eat _ . A fitting name for you, in many ways. Now then,  _ Atsumu _ , let’s find a way to bring you back.”

**Author's Note:**

> just a short lil' something I thought up of a while back!
> 
> thank you for reading :)


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